Do you think it's possible?
by mmok
Summary: "Think I can be like Rayleigh one day?" Zoro takes a second to compose himself, then he looks upwards to think and finally gazes towards his captain with a smirk.


Zoro was there when it happened.

He had ended his fight earlier, mainly because he didn't want to wait and the bastard was really getting on his nerves with his talk of bravado.

Sometimes he would bear with it. Not this time around.

So he decides to return to Luffy's side - to see how he's faring himself off despite knowing that there was no way that they would stop their journey here.

Not to some random thugs begging for money and foolish power.

Actually, they may very well stop moving on further if they were defeated here. And thus, he's not concerned.

Luffy has this in his bags, he would beat the other to a pulp and then leave to call Sanji to make some food- excuse him- _demand_ the perverted cook to make meat right there and now with a stupid grin on his face as if he hadn't been in a life-death situation only seconds before.

But it's not the same for others, since they can't all be Luffy's and thank kami they're not but still...

Zoro watches from the sidewalk under the shade of a tree, the scorching light of the sun hitting the two lonesome figures in the middle of the clearing, one of them on the ground and bleeding but nothing too serious.

He also watched the fight.

It had been the usual. Bizarre, messy and intense, that was how Luffy fought but the opponent this time around... seemed desperate.

Desperate enough to even stop Luffy from moving away after his victory and somehow Zoro knew from that moment that this wasn't just any other fight.

His nonchalant eyes close as Luffy's widen.

"Would you please kill me?"

Zoro never came to know the man's name or his motives. His face was easily forgettable and didn't have any striking features, but to this day he still hadn't forgotten that exact moment that had dug inside deep into his head and stayed there for the months to come.

Luffy did not kill him, but rather he walked away and Zoro followed.

When the other hadn't made the move to pounce down Sanji and opted instead of retreating to his own spot on Sunny's head, they all knew that this time around was different.

Zoro was actually grateful that it came earlier and so peacefully like this.

He wouldn't want his captain to face a situation where he was forced to choose between who to kill and do it with a cool head.

They were pirates. Situations like these were far from uncommon.

"Why did he ask me that?" Luffy asks on a good night with the two of them on top of the scarecrow, his voice throaty and eyes cast towards the far ocean in front.

Zoro takes a moment to think how he was not the best person to talk to about this stuff and why not Robin (but deep down he feels proud of himself), then relaxes his shoulders and leans down to the wood pillar, making himself comfortable.

He runs his tongue through his teeth before answering.

"Not everyone has the will to live through all the hardships."

From the corner of his eyes he observes his captain's reaction, and is not disappointed to see him focused, bringing his fist up and staring at like it held the life's question.

"That's dumb."

He smirks.

"Agreed."

...

"I don't think I've killed anyone that I was fighting with, but I don't know about those I don't see."

"It's your way of fighting, Luffy. I don't think it's a bad thing."

Luffy bites down on his lips.

"But I've done... you know, Robin says it all the time... Collaboration damage?"

"Collateral."

"Yeah, that."

Luffy was uncharacteristically silent, he merely watched the night waves swimming by with a not quite there gaze.

"How can I change?"

Zoro scratches the back of his head, unsure of what to answer.

"With a wise fist, I suppose."

Luffy's face morphs into a ugly frown. "That stuff's complicated. Rayleigh does it all the time."

"Well, how do you want to be better without work?"

"But it's difficult!" Luffy retorts with a grin. "And I'm pretty strong already!"

Zoro feels the daily banter coming back, as he feels the usual fond irritation surfacing into him.

They argue back and forth without meaning harm, until the perverted cook shouts for them to shut up and to get down for dinner.

Zoro jumps from the scarecrow with ease, landing on his feet and mumbles about how they had no neighbors and hence, there wasn't any need to control their noise but of course, by mumbling.

Luffy jumps down right after him, the loud slapping of his sandals making a quite catchy noise as he followed while laughing that characteristic laugh of his.

"Hey Zoro!"

He turns over his head and he swears to Kami that Luffy was glowing with an aura of moonlight that gently touched the tips his black hair to his fisted used hands and worn shirt and it looked just like one of those unimportant moments where the swordsman would never forgive to forget.

"Think I can be like Rayleigh one day?" He asks with a grin.

Zoro takes a second to compose himself, looks upwards to think and then gazes towards his captain with a smirk.

"I thought you wanted to be the Pirate King."

"Ushishishi."

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.**

 **Thanks for reading.**


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